These are the Days
by Summerbelle
Summary: Picks up at the end of The Job. Jim and Pam go on their date, but story will move much farther past that. Rated M for later chapters. This is my first ever story, so please be kind.
1. Prologue

_Oh my God you guys, this is my first ever fan fic. Please be gentle, 'cause I'm pretty nervous. I already have a few chapters written but they will probably be revised based on my feedback, so please tell me what you think. And of course, I don't own The Office. Why would I be posting on this site if I did??!!_

Prologue

Pam stared back at the camera. She was feeling such a mixture of excitement, extreme happiness, nervousness, relief, and just a little embarrassment. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to be reacting or what she _should_ be feeling, but even with all the emotions washing over her, she knew she was experiencing one of those moments of awareness. In this very second her life was changing. Pam had felt it before: when she heard the news her grandmother had passed away, when she called off her wedding to Roy Anderson, even, oddly enough, when she found out that she got the receptionist job at Dunder-Mifflin. She had such a sense of clarity that today was a turning point in her life, that today things were changing, moving forward. All she could do was smile.

"I'm sorry, what was the question?"


	2. The Soundtrack of Your Life

_Since the prologue was so short I thought I would add this chapter at the same time. I hope you like it. And of course I don't own 'The One I Love.' That's just crazy talk!_

Jim walked back to his desk to gather up a few things. His plan was to leave before Pam had a chance to change her mind. Not that he really thought she would, but considering their past, it was a slight possibility. Plus, Michael hadn't noticed yet that he had returned instead of staying in New York with Karen as previously planned. That was a conversation he didn't want to get into, especially with him.

Just as he is turning to leave, Pam opens the door to the conference room. Their eyes meet and they just smile back at each other.

"I'm going to get going before Michael realizes I'm back."

Pam smiled (it just wouldn't go away), but noticed the camera pointed at her. "_Maybe I should at least try to be cool about this" _she thought to herself.

"Yeah, definitely get out while you still can. Call me later?"

"Sure, I'll call when I know you're home."

They both grinned back at each other again and he turned to leave. Pam walked back to her desk wondering how she was possibly going to get any work done in the next hour and forty-three minutes. Just as she was about to sit back down, Jim stopped at the door and said, "By the way Beesly, I'm already famous, how could you not know that?" She just laughed and he said "See you soon" and he was gone.

_"Okay, only one hour and forty-two minutes. This is going to be impossible. What am I going to wear? Where are we going to go? Did he actually break up with Karen or did she just get the job? Am I his second choice now that she's moving to New York? I bet the camera crew all knows now. Is it written on my face 'Jim and Pam are going on a date?__'"__ Should I call my mom and tell her? I bet he's going to kiss me again tonight. Oh my god! Jim and I are goin__g to kiss again and I don't have to feel guilty. We could have sex…I mean, we won't but we could if we wanted to. I have to stop this. I'm sure I look like an idiot sitting here thinking about having sex with Jim. I bet everyone in the whole office knows."_

Pam looked up and no one was looking at her or seemed to notice her mental outbursts. Well, Dwight was kind of starring at her with a suspicious look, but that was his standard facial expression. She smiled back, which would surely make him more suspicious of whatever perceived threat he thought she was.

_"Okay, seriously now, what am I going to wear? I wish Kelly was normal, __then__ I could ask her about things like this." _Pam's only other real female friend was Amanda, Roy's cousin, but she thought it would be a tad awkward asking her for fashion advice for a date with another man. "_I'm going to just leave now so I can search my closet. I know just the trick." _She picked up the phone and dialed Michael's extension.

"Pammy-bammy-bo-bammy what's up?"

"Michael, my stomach is just killing me. I think I have cramps, do you mind if I go home a little early today?"

"Uuuuuh Paaaam, that is just…nasty. Yeah, leave. Go ahead and not come in tomorrow too. I don't want to hear about your feminine issues at work."

"Tomorrow's Saturday Michael."

"Well, take off Monday then if you have to."

"Okay, I'll let you know. Bye."

Anything referred to as "female troubles" by the women of the office was enough to get Michael to give them the entire week off if they wanted. "_I wish I had time to run by the mall."_

She just had to settle for her closet, and the trunk she kept at the end of her bed that contained all the old sweaters she couldn't bear to part with. After about sixty wardrobe changes, she decided on a light-weight lavender v-neck sweater and flat-front khaki pants. Her first instincts was to wear a skirt, but Jim saw her in skirts almost every day at work, and the khakis were her favorite pair.

"_Should I shave my legs? No, absolutely not. __And plain underwear too."_She didn't want to get too presumptuous, and Jim was a gentleman. He wouldn't expect, or maybe wouldn't even want to have sex on their first official date. Her phone ringing on her dresser brought her back to the real world. It was him.

"You haven't changed your mind, have you?" she said as she plopped down on her bed.

"No way. You haven't changed _your_ mind?"

"Absolutely not."

"Okay, that's a relief. So I was thinking we could go to The Gardens."

"The Gardens sounds great. I was craving their breadsticks yesterday."

"They have the best crab cakes in Pennsylvania and all you care about are breadsticks?"

"What can I say, I'm a simple woman."

"Whatever Beesly…How about I pick you up in about an hour?"

"Sounds good to me. Wait, how are we going to get a table on a Friday night without a reservation?"

"I already made them, plus at two other places if you didn't feel like The Gardens."

"Wow, I am officially impressed Halpert. I'll see you in an hour, and don't be late. You want to make a good impression you know. Fancy New Beesly has very strict standards."

"Don't worry, I won't be late. And you can tell me all about these strict standards over dinner. Should I bring something to write on?"

"Definitely. You think you're being charming, but I'm serious. You have to work hard to please this girl."

The giggle in her voice faded as the line went quiet.

"Pam, I am serious. I would do anything in the world to make you happy."

She caught her breath, the sincerity in his voice was apparent.

"I know you would Jim. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon Pam."

"Bye Jim."

She flopped down on her pillows and took in their conversation. Their feelings were definitely real, but it was odd hearing them expressed so openly. She smiled and looked over at her digital clock.

"Holy crap!" she yelled out loud. She only had an hour to finish getting ready. Her hair needed a complete transformation and she wanted to tidy up her apartment in case Jim came inside. She jumped back up and headed for the bathroom. She stopped suddenly and turned towards the living room. _"This moment definitely needs a soundtrack." _Pam thought to herself. She grabbed the remote to her stereo and flipped through the songs on the cd's already in the player. Something pop and fun? Something more mellow? Classic rock? Oldies? She stopped on the perfect choice. As she walked back to the bathroom to begin getting ready for their date the first words of David Gray's "The One I Love" began drifting through her apartment.

_Gonna__ close my eyes_

_Girl and watch you go_

_Running through this life darling_

_Like a field of snow_

_As the tracer glides_

_In its graceful arc_

_Send a little prayer out to __ya_

_cross the falling dark_

_Tell the repo man_

_And the stars above_

_You're the one I love_

_Please review. I have to go away to a wedding this weekend and nothing would make me happier than to come back to your feedback. If you do it for me I promise to never read another story without reviewing it again!_


	3. Long Time Coming

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. It felt so great to come back from my little trip to all your comments. I hope you like this next one. I tried to keep it light and funny, just like Jim, but no matter how hard I tried, the drama just kept working it's way in, so I just went with it. _

_As always, I don't own anything except my dog and my car and my shoe collection - definitely not The Office or the music mentioned in this chapter. _

Jim told Pam he'd see her soon and hung up his phone. "_Now that's not what I was planning on saying." _He wanted to keep this evening light and fun. They were both well aware of their shared history and how he felt about her. And Pam's speech at the lake last week definitely made her feelings towards him clear. There was plenty of time for them to have deep conversations about that; tonight should be just about having a good time. Their phone call didn't exactly fit into his plan.

He walked into his bathroom and turned on the shower. He was ready for this night to get started. He'd been ready for years, and now it was finally happening. After his shower he put on dark blue jeans and a white button up oxford. He decided that the "big haircut" just wasn't his style. Pam had said it looked nice, but he could tell she preferred regular Jim.

He still had thirty minutes until he had to pick up Pam, so he decided to stop at the Petal Patch for pink tulips, her favorite. With everything ready he got back in his car and made his way to Pam's apartment. On his way, he realized it was actually only four blocks from the office and became jealous of the extra 20 minutes of sleep she probably got every morning. "_When I stay over I can sleep in too," _he thought to himself. _"Whoa big guy__, now that is considered getting ahead of yourself!" _If Pam let him have a kiss good night it would be good enough for him. Jim had definitely thought about what it would be like to sleep with Pam, in fact, he'd thought about it almost every day since he met her. But now, it was a real possibility, not just some daydream. He couldn't let himself think about that too much, though. _"One step at a time.__ You've come this fa__r, so try not to screw it up__." _Jim had to keep repeating to himself his mantra of keeping the evening light and fun.

After pulling into the parking lot of her small apartment building he took a few minutes to pull himself together. He walked up to her door and could hear what he thought was Nelly Furtado singing "Promiscuous Girl". _"Oh my __God!__ Pam__ is listening to this__" _He knocked on the door and surely enough she opened the door with a huge smile and in the background Nelly was singing to Timbaland that she could see him with nothing on.

"Hey! Uh…are you aware that you're listening to a song titled 'Promiscuous Girl?'"

"Oh yeah, it just gets me up and dancing. I felt like dancing around my apartment while I was getting ready. I started out wanting a soundtrack of tonight in my head, and then it just kinda moved to dancing too."

"Interesting, and this is the song you decide to dance to while you're getting ready for our date…am I supposed to read something into that Beesly?"

"Oh my God Halpert!, you perv! Come in, I'm almost ready. I just have to turn everything off and grab my purse."

Jim stepped into Pam's little apartment. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't that small either. The small foyer area (which was really just a hallway) had a kitchen immediately to his left and another door to his right which appeared to be some sort of utility closet. The dining and living room opened up from the kitchen. The end of the hallway turned into the living room and the only bedroom and bathroom were on the right. The kitchen and living room were very spacious and from the layout of the building, the bedroom and bathroom had to be larger too. Since it was a rental the walls were all white, but Pam had managed to create a warm space with her artwork that lined the walls and some creative lighting. Her couch and loveseat were a neutral beige with a large red area rug in the center. The open kitchen looked out into the living room and was separated by a small dining area off to the left. The kitchen was very utilitarian with the plain white walls and white cabinets, but she had managed to brighten up the space with potted plants, pretty china on display, and of course more of her artwork. It was all just so _Pam. _He knew that she had moved there when she called off her wedding to Roy, and it was probably a painful move, but he could sense that she was happy here now.

The sound of the stereo clicking off brought him out of his thoughts. She picked up her purse off the counter and turned to Jim who was standing in the middle of the living room. "So, are you ready?" she asked him with the perma-smile still plastered across her face.

"Oh yeah, I'm definitely ready. Shall we?" Jim held out his arm formally to escort her out the door. Pam giggled and took his arm. When he opened her car door she saw the tulips laying in the seat for her.

"Jim, are those for me?"

"Oh, those, actually those are for my other date tonight. I figured I wouldn't have time to stop by the florist after I drop you off so I brought them along for our date."

"Jim-"

"What? I'm just planning ahead."

"You are such a dork. Never mind, I don't want them anyway now."

"Are you sure, they are your favorite."

"Yeah, I do love pink tulips. I can't believe you remembered. This is definitely the kind of thing that works for Fancy New Beesly."

"Yes! So that's one less point we'll have to cover later."

"Can I run back inside and put these in some water? They'll probably wilt in your car while we eat."

"Okay, while you're doing that I'll try to think up a good excuse for my other date because she really likes pink tulips too and I think she's gonna be disappointed when I show up empty handed."

Pam just rolled her eyes and ran back inside her apartment. Jim got in the car and selected the perfect song as quickly as he could. He knew Pam liked to "soundtrack" her life. It was important to her that the perfect song was playing in the background during certain events or tasks. He had a feeling that this "soundtrack" song would be important to her.

He pulled out a copy of _Faded Seaside Glamour_ by the Delays and hit random. The player landed on "Nearer than Heaven" and it made Jim smile. It was perfect. He hoped "Long Time Coming" would be next. It definitely fit his feelings about this night.

Pam came back out and they left to go to the restaurant. "I love this song…" she mused, and Jim smiled to himself. "I know, because I gave this cd to you last year. You came in the next day and said it was your favorite on the whole album." Pam just looked over and smiled. _"This is really happening,"_ she thought to herself.

They continued on to The Gardens in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, but a peaceful one because although Jim and Pam could always talk about anything and everything, they also didn't need to talk to fill the void. The presence of each other was always just enough for them both.

Later that night, after they had ordered their meal and were on their first glass of wine Pam thought it was about time she start asking the questions she just couldn't keep in any longer.

"So, are you and Karen…"

"We're done. I had been lying to myself because I really wanted it to work out, but I told her today after my interview. I didn't want to hurt her anymore than I already had. She deserves the truth – and so do you, Pam."

She took all this in and processed Jim's words. They were finally being honest with each other, maybe for the first time since they had become friends they were being completely honest.

"I know I said this at the beach already, but I want you to come back…to really be back. I miss my best friend." Pam was nervous that she was again speaking her mind so freely, but it was as if all of her years of repressing her true feelings had come to a head and now everything was pouring out. It had started at the beach the week before, and now here it was again. Jim opened his mouth to begin to say something, but she cut him off. It was like she had no control over her own voice.

"Please, let me finish. I'm happy that you're not with Karen anymore. I'm sad for her if she's hurt, but she deserves the truth just as much as you or I do. Tonight when I was getting ready was the happiest I have been since I can't remember, and what you said on the phone made me happier than I could ever put into words – "

As she was in the middle of her little speech she couldn't help but think to herself, "_Oh __my God, I can't believe I'm telling him everything, what the hell am I doing?__!" _But she kept on, every thought in her head just kept pouring out uncensored.

" – and I'm really glad you asked me out tonight. I don't know if you really meant it earlier when you said this was a date or if you were using a figure of speech, but I just want you to know that I consider this a date. No matter how much I've tried to fight it, I've wanted to go on a real date with you ever since you came back to Scranton, and probably before then too if I were being totally honest with myself. I'm never as happy with anyone else than when I'm with you."

When Pam had finally finished they both sat in stunned silence. This was not the comfortable silence they had experienced before. Pam's face burned bright red as she realized everything that she had just said. Jim soaked it all in for what seemed like five minutes before he responded.

"Who are you and what have you done with Pam Beesly?" He thought the situation needed some humor but it just made Pam blush even more and she looked down. Jim thought he saw tears in her eyes.

"Pam…"

"Stop, I'm so embarrassed. I can't believe I just said all of those things to you out loud."

"No, I'm sorry about trying to make a joke. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Honestly, this isn't how I saw this evening going. I wanted us to just hang out and have a good time. I figured there was plenty of time for us to get into all of…this."

"I know, I'm sorry, you're right. I'm being a total drama queen."

"No Pam, what I meant to say was you have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. This is a real date for me too. And I feel the same way about being happier with you than anyone else. I had been fighting it for so long, and it's made me miserable. Because the truth is what I said to you that night, the night we had the casino in the warehouse, I still feel that way. After all that's happened, nothing has ever changed how I feel about you."

Pam looked up and met his eyes and smiled. "Do you remember that night?" he said.

"Yeah," she said softly, almost a whisper, the smile still on her face. Just as the waitress returned with their order Pam looked Jim right in the eye and said, "and I'd give anything in this world to change it's ending."


	4. When You Dream It Might Come True

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed, it really helped and totally made my day. Please let me know what you think about this one. As you might have suspected, I don't own The Office or anything else mentioned in this chapter. I do own a new ipod though, it's fabulous. _

The waitress left the food on the table but neither Jim nor Pam made a move for their forks. They both just sat still, staring at each other after Pam's admission. After what seemed like an eternity, Jim let out a nervous laugh.

"Okay, I call a time out on serious conversation. I'm happy we got all that out of the way, and I want to continue it later, but this is just getting too deep for this guy. What do you say? From here on out, I want nothing but crass jokes and idle gossip to be our main topics of conversation."

Pam giggled, smiled, and let out a sigh of relief all at the same time.

"That sounds perfect to me. I have tons of good gossip that you've missed out on."

"I was only gone for a day, how much could I've missed? I've been there every day, nothing gets past me."

"Oh contraire my friend, do you forget who I am? Reception is the epicenter of gossip in the office, and you've been too busy worrying about what Karen thinks you think, so therefore I haven't been able to share all the good stuff."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that. I shouldn't have put you in the middle of our issues."

"Don't worry about it. It just means that now you get to hear everything all at once. It's like Christmas morning but only better, because in this case you get your presents from a hot chick like me instead of a fat old man in a red fur trimmed suit."

"I must say, I really do like this Fancy New Beesly. Her jokes are much better than regular old school Beesly."

"Hey, old school Beesly wasn't that bad!"

"No, she was great, but Fancy New Beesly, FNB – if you will, is pretty cool too. She smiles a lot more than old school Beesly…I mean OSB."

"Well, thank you…I think. Now, do you wanna hear the gossip or what?"

"Of course, anything good?"

"Hmm…where to start? I think Dwight has been secretly taping all of Michael's phone conversations with clients."

"No way, how do you know that? Why would he want to do that?"

"Well, every time I transfer a call to Michael I hear a click on the line like an old fashion tape recorder starting, and one time I just happened to look over at Dwight and it appeared that he was pushing a button on his phone. And he had a weirder than usual look on his face. Then, a few hours later, I saw he had picked up his phone and listened to something for almost 20 minutes, but there wasn't a call on his line."

"Wow…just wow. But why would he want to do that to Michael? He'd never go against him."

"You haven't let me get to my bigger gossip. I thought the same thing at first, but today when you were all at corporate, Dwight totally took over the office. He created a new incentive program using a little invention called the Schrute Buck, painted Michael's office black, and made me his secret assistant."

"I don't even know where to start with that."

"Yeah, so I think he was recording the conversations for when Michael got the job, but I'm not totally sure what he was planning on doing with them. I don't even want to think about what he plans on doing with them now."

"Well, we need to think of something first so we can use it to our advantage."

"Definitely"

"So, what else have I missed?"

Their banter continued on for the rest of the meal non-stop. It was as if all the weeks of silence gave had built up like a dam, and the floodgates had been opened. After the check was paid neither was ready to go home.

"You want to take a walk? It's a nice night, I know just the place." Jim had always wanted to go on a late night walk with Pam on a summer night. It was like everything was falling into place for this one night.

"Yeah, but what's wrong with walking around downtown?" Pam could sense he was up to something by the tone in his voice.

"Well, the place I have in mind is far superior, plus there aren't any drunks stumbling out of a bar every block."

"You mean you don't find the drunks charming, because I think they're kinda cute."

"No you don't, don't lie to me Pam. Come on, I have a plan."

"Okay, a plan to go on a walk. This better be good Halpert."

He led her to his car and they drove to Pam's favorite park in Scranton. There was a lighted walking path and flower beds scattered throughout the entire area. It was definitely the nicest park in Scranton, and it was as if it almost didn't belong in the town.

"Oh, I love this place!"

"I know you do, that's why I wanted to go on a late night walk here. Was it worth it Beesly?"

"Yeah, this is definitely better than the drunks downtown."

They started down the path and continued their conversation from earlier. They discussed office gossip, Jim's interview that morning, Pam's art classes, pretty much anything that wasn't too serious. After a few minutes they stopped and sat on a bench next to the path. There were a few other couples in the park because it was still relatively early for a summer night, but no one was close enough to intrude on their little cocoon.

"This is really great, Jim. I'm glad you asked me to dinner today, and I'm glad you wanted to go on this walk, and honestly, I'm glad you turned down the job. I know that sounds selfish, but it's the truth."

"Well, I'm glad too."

"…and Fancy New Beesly is all about the truth."

"Oh really, well, can you tell me the truth if I ask you a question then?"

Pam froze up. "_This could turn out really good or really bad__," _she thought.

"You said earlier that you wanted to change the way we ended that night - the night of the casino. Well, what would you want to change about it?"

Pam's whole body tensed up, but in a good way. Jim had a slight smile on his face, and she smiled back. The butterflies in her stomach were going crazy with anticipation.

"Uhh, I'd, I'd kiss you back instead of running away."

"Good answer."

Pam could feel Jim inch his way closer to her as they were talking. His face was now inches from hers. A burst of desire shot through her entire body and he wasn't even touching her yet. Jim could sense the change in her, it was almost instinctual. They could feel each other's breath on their faces. Pam's lips parted as she took in a sharp breath of the warm air and then his lips were on hers before she could exhale.

His lips were just as she had remembered almost every night in her dreams. His tongue gently explored her mouth while his hands reached up to rest on the sides of her face. In all her dreams she always wanted to suck in his lower lip, so she finally indulged her fantasy. His hands pushed farther until his fingers were tangled in her hair, and he deepened their kiss at the same time, causing Pam to feel yet another wave of heat radiate through her body. She tried to form thoughts but rational thinking was all but impossible.

Jim had never been so turned on only a kiss before in his life. He could still taste the wine they had drank with dinner. Her lips were so soft, but he was surprised by her slight aggressiveness when she wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and began sucking on his lower lips. All the blood rushed out of his head to the lower part of his body, he felt like a teenager again.

Finally, Pam had to pull away gasping for air. She had forgotten to breathe. They both stared at each other, still only inches apart. Jim still had his hands in her hair, Pam's were still at the back of his neck.

_"That is what I had been waiting for…he had to have felt it too." _

Jim kept staring into those beautiful hazel eyes. Everything he had ever wanted was within his grasp; literally in his hands. After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke.

"I know I've said it before, but you have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

She smiled and said, "Yeah, well, I think it might have even been worth the wait. I appreciate it much more this time around."

He leaned in to kiss her again, short and soft on her lips. "It's getting late, I should get you home."

"You're probably right, I just don't want this night to end. It all seems too good to be true, and I'm scared I'm going to wake up at any minute and realize it's all a dream."

"I know the feeling, but don't worry, I assure you this is very real," he replied as he leaned in for another kiss. When they finally came back up for air once more, Pam stood up and reached her hand out for his.

"We need to have a little decorum Halpert, this is a public place."

Jim took her hand with a smirk and led her back to the car. As they drove back Jim's cd player skipped to his Ryan Shupe cd. "Dream Big" began to play and immediately a smile formed on Pam's face.

"I LOVE this song! It makes me so happy just listening to it!"

Jim reached over and took her hand. It was so small compared to his, but it fit like a glove. "I used to listen to it a lot when you were planning your wedding. It gave me hope that we would work out some day, I just didn't know how to make it happen."

Pam didn't say anything, she didn't need to. They continued on in silence listen to the lyrics of the song "…_When you laugh be sure to laugh out loud, 'cause it will carry all your cares away. __And when you see, see the beauty all around and in yourself, and it'll help you feel okay. And when you pray, pray for strength, to help you carry on when the troubles come your way. And when you dream, dream big…"_

When Jim pulled his car into Pam's apartment parking lot their eyes met and instantly they reached for each other and began kissing again. It was more urgent this time and within seconds Pam was literally sitting on Jim's lap. He wrapped his arms around her back, his hands reaching south until they were resting on the small of his back, pulling her closer to him. All Pam wanted to do was drink him in; it was like she couldn't get enough. In all her years kissing Roy, she had never felt this kind of desire before.

Finally Pam pulled away, she had to regain her composure before things got out of hand. Her breath was ragged and she spoke barely above a whisper.

"I really want to invite you inside, but I don't think it would be very wise. I really think we should at least attempt to take things slow."

"You're probably right," Jim's voice was almost an octave deeper. "I feel like a teenager…you sure you wouldn't feel more comfortable in the back seat?"

Pam let out a quiet giggle, "I'm sure."

"Well, I don't know if this qualifies as taking it slow, but I really want to see you again tomorrow."

"What did you have in mind?" she said with a mischievous grin.

"The music festival tomorrow? The one with all the cover bands, it sounds like a lot of fun. I heard Kevin talk about it last week. At first I thought it sounded kinda lame, but then Mark told me it's actually a pretty big deal. There's three stages with different bands playing all day."

"It sounds like a lot of fun. Just tell me when to be ready."

"Pick you up at eleven?"

"I'll be ready. A whole day with me, are you sure you can handle that Halpert?"

"Oh, I was born ready," he said with a playful eyebrow shrug. "I'd offer to walk you to your door-"

"But that would lead to more indecent behavior, I know," Pam said as she interrupted him. She reluctantly pulled away from his arms and reached for the door handle. "I'll see you tomorrow Halpert."

Jim leaned in for another quick kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow Beesly."

Pam opened the door and turned to step out of the car. She turned back one last time and said, "Tell me again this is really happening."

"Trust me Pam, this is really happening."

She let out a sigh and just smiled. With that, she got out of the car and Jim watched her walk to her apartment door. He waited until he saw her light turn on and put the car in reverse. As he drove off he hit a few buttons on his radio until it began again…

_When you cry be sure to dry your eyes, '__cause__ better days are sure to come__…_

_**Okay kiddies, please be a dear and review this chapter. I've been working hard on the next one, which is fairly long, and I have the next two days off, so hopefully I'll be able to update soon. Your reviews are what motivates me, so the more I get, the faster I'll update. Hope you're having a nice day!**_


	5. Swaying

_First of all, sorry it took me so long to update. I know I said last time I'd update sooner, but I have a really good excuse, I swear! I have been spending so much time with my own Jim (his name really is Jim, which makes him even more perfect) and, oh my God you guys, he's amazing! And men DON'T normally amaze me. The good news is this chapter and the next one, when I actually have time to write them down, are very much inspired by him. Okay, enough about me. I hope you like it. Please let me know if I'm acting like a love-sick teenager, not a grown woman, and if it's making my writing gag-inducing. _

Pam woke up ten minutes before her alarm with a smile on her face. "_I went on a date with Jim. I get to spend the whole day with him." _She stretched out, pulling her sheets taut and let out a long sigh. _"This is happening and it's going to work out." _She knew that they were trying to keep things light and fun, but after the way things went last night, she knew that this new step in their relationship was for real. There was a mutual understanding that although the dating part might be new, their feelings for each other were as strong as a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary, even if those feelings hadn't been exactly expressed in words out loud.

The anticipation of the day to come was almost too much for her. She jumped out of bed and practically skipped to the bathroom.

Jim also woke up early, although technically it was more like he never went to sleep. His night had been filled of thoughts of Pam interrupted by brief interludes of sleep during which he dreamed of Pam. He felt like a kid on Christmas Eve, the anticipation of the next day was so great.

He showered and spent the next hour trying to occupy his time before he had to pick up Pam. He read the paper and ate breakfast, but all he could do was wonder what she was doing. "_Did she think about me last night? If she knew how I spent my night she would think I'm hopelessly pathetic and never want to talk to me ever again." _Jim decided that what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her, and ran back upstairs to get dressed. He couldn't wait any longer.

The paper said it was going to be in the 70's today, so he wore shorts and a blue polo. He loved seeing Pam last night out of her work clothes. Jim always thought she was beautiful, but it was nice to see her wearing something other than a drab skirt and plain cotton blouse. Just as he was on his way out the door Mark stumbled out of his bedroom.

"Hey man, how'd it go last night?"

Jim gave an eyebrow shrug, "Not bad."

Mark gave a little grunt/head nod and shuffled to the kitchen as both men said as little as possible in typical guy fashion. He yelled over his shoulder, "Joe and I are thinking about having a Madden tournament tonight at his place if you're interested."

Jim grabbed his keys off the counter and replied, "We'll see. It depends on what Pam wants to do."

"Okay, see you later." Mark smiled to himself as he heard the dorm shut behind Jim. He had a feeling that his best friend was probably going to be missing a lot of Madden tournaments in the near future.

Jim grabbed a brown paper bag and made his way up to Pam's front door. He rang the bell and tried to calm himself down because he was just damn excited to see her. Why did he feel like he'd been channeling his teenage self for the past 24 hours? He was a grown man, he should be able to behave around a woman without making a fool of himself.

Pam opened the door with a huge smile on her face, the one that had been there almost permanently all last night and all this morning as she was getting ready. She was wearing a simple flowing white cotton skirt and a green top with green flats. She had spent over 30 minutes that morning straightening her hair then forming large gentle waves. She hoped it was worth it, and by the look on Jim's face she knew it was.

It took everything in Jim's power to not gasp when she opened the door. She was so beautiful. It was as if she looked just like herself but nothing like the Pam he knew all at the same time. She said hi, but he just stood there silent for the longest 15 seconds of her life.

"Uhh…do you want to come in or are you just going to stand here like a dork, cause honestly you're kinda creeping me out." Pam let out a laugh because the truth was she loved knowing she could get this kind of reaction out of him by just looking at her. In all their years, Roy had never looked at her that way, and it was very empowering.

"Yeah, sorry. It's just, you look…amazing." Their eyes met and Jim gave her a slight grin. "_You're acting like a sixteen year old again, stop it! At least attempt to be an adult."_

They stepped inside Pam's apartment and she noticed the bag he held in his right hand. "Whatcha got there?"

"I stopped and got some bagels in case you hadn't eaten breakfast already. If you have then I thought we could save them for later. They're cinnamon-raisin, your favorite."

Pam let out a small squeal, "I love cinnamon-raisin bagels! I only had time for a cup of coffee, so hand them over pal." Jim set the bagels down on her kitchen counter and leaned down for a kiss, reaching to cup both sides of her face.

What began as a simple "hello" kiss quickly turned into a deep passionate kiss that resulted with both of them holding each other tighter, the force of their two bodies keeping the other on balance. The need for air forced them to break away, but Jim held on to Pam in a tight embrace. "What was that for," she whispered against his chest as she breathed in his cologne.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. You just look so damn beautiful, and I love it when you boss me around."

"I'll keep that in mind for later." She said in a mischievous tone, and Jim just couldn't help himself.

"'Keep that in mind for later' how?" he asked, playing off her playful tone.

Pam looked up at him and Jim shrugged his eyebrows and then tried to give her his best innocent face.

"For when I make you clean my house and do my laundry later. Why? What did you think I meant?" She matched his innocent face with one of her own. She loved that even though their relationship was entering into a new place, where they were more than just best friends, they could still banter back and forth with each other just like old times. Her best friend was back, finally. The more she thought about their relationship and where it was going, and as far as they had come, the more she realized how truly happy she was. She started to choke up and could feel a lump in her throat as she looked into Jim's eyes. Before she knew it, she was blinking back tears.

"Hey, what just happened there?" he whispered. "Are you okay?" Jim was confused by how quickly the situation had gone from romantic to playful, and now to tears. What was going on in her head? _"I love her, but sometimes I just don't think I will ever understand women, even the normal ones like Pam." _

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just so happy, you know?" She smiled through her glassy eyes, on the verge of letting the tears fall.

Jim let out a sigh of relief then hugged her even closer. Then he looked down at her again and tipped her chin up with his finger, "Yeah, I know too. But please don't scare me by crying, because most the time when women cry around me, it's because I've screwed up or done something stupid. I've been known to do that, ya know."

She let out a small laugh, "Yeah, I know. That's why I'm not going to let you."

"That's great, I won't try so hard then since you're going to be in charge of my stupid behavior. Now, can we eat already Beesly?"

"You might regret giving me all this power, but okay. And I'm starving." Jim opened up the box of bagels and got out the plates while Pam poured them coffee and got out the cream cheese. It was like they had the routine of being an old couple already down to perfection.

"You ready to get going?" Jim asked as they finished up their late breakfast.

"Yeah, I'm actually really excited. I read an article in the paper this morning that said there's going to be over 20 bands playing all day. I had no idea there were so many specialty cover bands on the east coast. The names are the funniest. There's a country band that sings nothing but Garth Brooks songs and it's called Friends in Lowly Places. There's also a KISS cover band called The Shout it Out Louds. Remember them from the tape we watched? I definitely want to see the 80's cover band, The John Hughes Enthusiast Society. They're one of the closing acts on the center stage."

"Wow, I had no idea that this was such a big thing. I hope we can find a parking space. And Mark told me about a Barenaked Ladies cover band that's going to be there. He said they're pretty good. He was planning on doing nothing but playing video games later tonight but maybe I can convince him to join us to see their concert. Maybe he could work up the courage to ask out this girl he's taken to coffee about five times but won't ask her on an actual date."

Pam let out a long laugh, "Okay pot, I had no idea you were living with kettle – you're not seriously making fun of him for not having the courage to ask a girl out. At least he's had the decency to take her out for coffee instead of moving to another city!"

"Yeah, fair enough, we should get going before I say something else that you can make fun of." Jim gestured towards the door and Pam led the way. She had a feeling this was going to be one of those great days in her life that she would always remember. Her list had previously included the time she skipped school her junior year and went shopping with her best friend, the one time she had fun on the lake with Roy and his brother, and the Christmas her mom had given her Grandma's pearls. Pam just knew that after today, the time she spent the entire day with Jim at the music festival was going to be at the top of the list.

The day so far had gone by like a dream. Pam and Jim had seen so many bands and they'd only been at the festival for a little over three hours. Both of them were actually very impressed with the talent, and they even swayed-danced to one of the country cover bands. Pam commented that it was much better than swaying in the empty parking lot at work.

They had just settled onto a picnic table by one of the food vendors with their late lunch of barbeque sandwiches and draft beer. They were debating which stage to go to next when Jim's phone rang.

"Hey man, did you get my message…Yeah, they're supposed to come on around seven…I thought you could maybe invite Kristina, it should be fun…Well, let me know…talk to ya later."

Although Pam would never tell Jim, she was actually kind of nervous about Mark joining them plus bringing along another girl. She had been thrilled earlier that day when she could hold his hand in public and when they shared a blanket for the Rolling Stones cover band. It was wonderful having him all to herself, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to hang out with others at the same time.

"So, that was Mark obviously. He didn't give a definite answer, but he's going to call Kristina to see if she wants to join him. Is it still okay with you?"

Pam smiled, "_At least he has the manners to ask." _

"To be honest, I'm…" Pam hesitated. She was making a big deal out of nothing.

"What is it? You don't like my roommate. It's okay, you can say it."

"No, that's not it at all. I'm just not sure how I feel about sharing our time together right now. I've never met this girl, and I've only hung out with Mark that once. Do you think it might be a little weird?"

"Mark's cool, I'm sure it'll be okay…but I can call him right now and tell him we changed our minds if you want. It's up to you, whatever you want babe."

Pam did a little squeal in her head and her concerned face instantly returned to a goofy grin. "_I can't believe he just called me babe. It used to be so annoying when Roy said it, why is it the cutest thing in the world when Jim says it?"_

"No, you're right. I'm just being paranoid, I'm sure it'll be fine. I can still hold your hand if Mark's around, right?"

"Of course you can, why wouldn't you?" With that, Jim picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles. He lowered her hand just below his lips and smiled. "I love holding your hand, and I want the whole world to know I'm here with you."

Pam just let out a small giggle-smile; she couldn't form words at times when she was so happy like this. Jim gave her hand a little squeeze and they both went back to their lunches. Pam thought to herself, "_Yes, this day is definitely at the top of my list."_

While they waited for Mark and Kristina to join them for the evening, Jim and Pam decided to watch a classic rock cover band. As the lead singer sang Bob Seger's "Main Street" Pam felt Jim tug on her right hand.

"I love this song, it reminds me of the summer," he said, "and I've always wanted to dance with you every time it plays."

"Isn't it kinda dirty Halpert? You want to dance with me to a song about a stripper?"

"Well, when you put it that way, yeah, it's a little dirty. Come on, I just want to dance with you, is that so bad? Don't cha want to dance with me?" He tugged at her other hand and pulled her closer to him.

"_That is never a question you need to ask"_ she thought. "Yes, I absolutely want to dance with you Mr. Halpert."

As he pulled her closer Jim put his left hand on her lower back and continued to hold her right hand with his. "Mmmm…I love it when you call me Mr. Halpert. Do you think you can save that for later?" he whispered in her ear.

"Yes sir." Pam tried her hardest to sound sexy and alluring, but she couldn't hold in her giggle any longer. "Sorry, I was trying to sound sexy, but I guess it didn't come out that way."

"Don't worry about it. Everything you say is sexy to me."

"Even when I laugh so hard I snort?" Pam said in a half sarcastic, half joking tone.

"Yes Pam, especially when you snort when you laugh." Jim deadpanned.

"I'll keep that in mind the next time you make fun of me when I do it."

They continued to sway to the music until the end of the song. Neither wanted to pull away but they were forced to when Jim's cell phone beeped with an incoming text message.

They walked to the back of the crowd where people were sitting on blankets, and Jim informed Pam that Mark and Kristina would be arriving in 30 minutes, just in time for the Barenaked Ladies cover band, The Chinese Chickens. As they waited they got more beers and listened to the classic rock band play songs by the Eagles and Joe Walsh.

Pam was too busy watching the stage to notice Mark and a petite blond woman approach her and Jim. She looked up when she heard Jim speak.

"Hey man, glad you could make it."

"Yeah, Madden will have to wait I guess. This is Kristina." Mark turned to her and smiled, and Pam noticed the same look on his face that she often saw on Jim's when he talked to her in the office. The one where he tries to hold back a smile but just can't no matter how hard he tries. Kristina smiled and said hello.

"This is my roommate Jim and his girlfriend Pam."

Pam could literally feel the blood shooting up her neck into her cheeks, but what really shocked her was Jim's reaction.

"It's great to meet you. Mark's told me _all _about you." he said playfully to Kristina.

"_So he talks to Mark about me. Why else would he think that we're already calling each other boyfriend or girlfriend, and Jim wouldn't have a reaction? Wait a sec, Jim's my boyfriend? He was Karen's boyfriend 24 hours ago, but his roommate knows enough about our history to call me his girlfriend?"_

"It's so nice to meet you," Kristina said as she gave a mega watt smile and extended a hand to Jim. Then she turned to Pam and said, "It's nice to meet you too. How's the concerts been so far?"

Pam didn't have time to dwell on the fact that Jim's roommate called her his girlfriend, and the weird thing was, she didn't care. She loved being called Jim's girlfriend. The warm flush in her face turned from one of embarrassment to one of desire. Defining their relationship, and Jim's complete openness and un-embarrassment turned her on more than she could ever imagine. All she wanted to do was touch him, so she reached her arm around his waist in an almost territorial hug.

With a mega watt smile of her own she replied, "It's been great. It's so nice you could meet up with us. I'm really looking forward to the closing act. It's an 80's band."

"Me too. I think Mark really wants to see the Barenaked Ladies concert."

"We should get moving if we're going to make it to both then," Jim interjected. "It'll probably be packed and we'll either get squished at the front of the stage or be stuck at the very back of all the lawn blankets."

Pam looked up and smiled. The prospect of seeing a cover band playing a free outdoor concert never had never excited her more in her life. As Mark and Kristina turned to lead the way to the next stage to see the concert, Jim returned Pam's smile and leaned down and kissed her right on the lips. She didn't care who saw, or even starred after their kiss lasted just a bit longer than your normal PDA. She was with her boyfriend, Jim Halpert, who still loved her and always had.

**_If this chapter could speak, it would say "please review me." _**


	6. These Arms of Mine

_Hello everyone! I'm very nervous about this chapter because I didn't get that many reviews last time. I normally don't post a chapter until I'm done with the next one, but I'm going to go ahead and put this one up bcause everyone's been so patient since it took me so long to write it._

Jim kept looking to his left, making sure she was still there. Each time his heart skipped half a beat, because it was still all too new for him. One time she caught him and just smiled and turned her attention back to the stage.

By the time the sky had turned the shade of pink lemonade, Pam had already consumed over four beers. Jim knew she was getting a little tipsy, even though she tried her hardest to cover it up. She was so happy, listening to the band play Love Shack and Time After Time. Her and Kristina even got up and danced when they heard We Got the Beat. He was content just sitting on their blanket watching her have a good time. After the song was over he knew for sure she was drunk when she came over to him and begged him to dance with her.

"Come on Jim! It's so fun, just one song, please?" She made a puppy dog eyes that she would never admit to sober. The sad thing was, Jim realized, that he was powerless over them, regardless of her level of sobriety.

"You seem to be having a good time without me. I mean, are you sure you want my superior dance moves cramping your style?"

"No, you must join me or I'll start to take it personal. Please, come on Jim!" She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him up off the blanket where he was still sitting.

Just as he started to protest one last time Come on Eileen started playing and Pam shrieked that girl shriek that they can only truly perfect after consuming too much alcohol.

"I LOVE THIS SONG!! Come one Jim, you have to dance with me!!" She was practically bouncing up and down, it was so damn cute. Kristina was also doing that drunk-girl-shriek and was pulling at Mark to join her too. Both men got up and started to dance with their dates, doing the awkward but tried and true white-male bounce up and down, sway side to side dance. The girls were too happy dancing to the song to even notice how terrible the show behind them was.

"_I'm so glad she's too drunk to watch me dance. I hope she doesn't remember this tomorrow. I'll never live it down." _Mark looked over at him with an empathetic glance, and Jim just gave him a shoulder shrug. They were in this together.

Pam and Kristina continued to dance the night away as the sun set, and Jim and Mark retreated back to their lawn blanket as soon as they could. Once the sky had finally gone from pink to dark blue, the band began an acoustic set. Pam and Kristina joined the men on the blanket, both leaning back against their dates. As Thunder Road played in the background, Pam sighed and snuggled against Jim's chest. "_This is how it should be, this is right, this is how things were supposed to work out. I am meant to be with this woman."_

Pam looked up at his face and said, "I'm so happy."

"Me too Pam, me too."

"I know you think I've been drinking too much and I'm drunk, but I'm not. This has been the best day of my life…I love you." Pam could feel the alcohol in her body, but her mind was completely clear. She wanted to tell him in a natural way, and the moment felt so perfect.

He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. She looked so beautiful and he thought the moment couldn't be any more perfect, not knowing he was echoing her thoughts. It wasn't a big romantic declaration, just simple and beautiful, just like her. "How do you do that? It's like you can read my mind. I love you too Pam. I've always loved you."

They both smiled at each other and he added playfully, "You better not be drunk. I've been waiting a lifetime to hear you say that."

"Oh, I'm not drunk, just happy. More happy than I thought humanly possible."

"Good, all I want is for you to be happy."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes listening to the music, Jim taking her hand in his and squeezing it every few seconds. After a while Pam looked over at Mark and Kristina, she had almost forgotten they were not alone.

"Look at the two of them," she whispered to Jim. The new couple was sitting side by side with their arms touching, and you could visibly see the caution in their body language. Mark wanted to put his arm around her, hold her hand, anything to indicate he wanted to make the next move, but you could almost physically see his hesitation. "Remind you of anyone you know?" Pam asked.

"Maybe they'll be old and wise like us one day," he whispered into her ear.

"Or maybe they'll fight it for the next five years."

"Well, he did ask her out on an official date before the one year mark, so I'd think that's a good sign," Jim joked.

Just then Mark decided to go for it and reached his arm around Kristina's shoulder and she rested her head on his neck, snuggling in comfortably.

"Score one for the big guy! I'm so proud." Jim mocked-choked up.

"We should do this again sometime, you know…to help further along their relationship."

"You mean I could give Mark tips on how to impress girls by just being their supportive friend, while you and Kristina trade tips in the bathroom on how to repress your feelings?"

"Ha ha, very funny. Since when did you become such a comedian?"

"Only recently, I've been taking classes. I'm so happy you noticed."

They bantered on for the rest of the concert, even getting up to slow dance once to a Journey song.

"I never appreciated this song until right now," he murmured into her ear as the lead singer sang out "_When the lights go down in the city.._." he actually sounded really good.

"Shhh, don't ruin it. I love this song. Didn't I ever tell you that? I have a secret obsession with Journey."

"Well, I'll let you enjoy the song, but afterwards we have to explore this further," he said with mock-concern, "you might need to seek professional help."

"Shut it, Halpert." They continued to sway until the song was over then they walked back to their blanket. Just as Pam was trying to suppress a yawn, the lead singer announced it was going to be their last song. They played a Prince song and then the group started to pack up their belongings.

"I had a really great time. We should definitely hang out again some time." Kristina smiled at Jim and Pam, then they both noticed as she grabbed for Mark's hand and smiled up at him.

Pam gave her a knowing smile and replied, "Oh absolutely. We could go out to eat or maybe hang out with the guys and beat them at poker. It's great for their self-esteem."

Mark looked down at Kristina again and smiled. "Yeah, we'll definitely have to do that sometime, but I highly doubt the beating us at poker part. Halpert and I are a pretty tough team to beat."

Jim laughed and shrugged his shoulders, "So, it's a double-date. Maybe you two should get together and practice beforehand. Mark's right, you don't want to embarrass yourselves."

"I'm not worried, I've beat you at poker before. Remember?" Pam gave Jim a quizzical look. She smiled, hoping he realized they could have good memories of that night from now on.

"Oh, I didn't forget, but it was a fluke. You don't stand a chance."

"I'm not scared, I've played poker a few times in my day, and I'm sure Pam's victory wasn't a fluke." Kristina added. She looked up at Mark and gave him a mischievous grin. "I think we should get going, it's late. We should definitely arrange the poker night sometime soon. I can't wait to beat you boys at your own game."

Mark and Kristina turned to go and Jim and Pam said their goodbyes. Pam thought to herself "_It's so weird, why do I feel like we're the old couple playing wingmen to Mark and Kristina when we're only on our second date? I wish Jim and I could've been like this from the very beginning instead of waiting all those years. Then we really would be the old and wise couple…but it's too late to change the past. The decisions we've made brought us to this point, no time for regrets. We're together now, that's all that matters."_

"Earth to Pam, where'd you go there?" Jim smiled at her in amusement.

"Oh nothing, I just really love you. You know that?"

Jim leaned down and cupped both sides of her face with his hands, kissing her. He looked directly in her eyes and smiled. "I love you too. I don't think I could ever get tired of hearing you say that." For years they had carefully guarded their feelings, never saying the words out loud until that fateful night last May. It had taken so much effort on both their parts to get to a point where they could tell each other the truth. For Jim it was like his entire life was a novel, and today was the beginning of the best and longest chapter.

"Well, get ready to hear it a lot then."

Jim took her hand and they joined the crowd leaving the park. It was going to be a long walk back to the car.

Jim pulled into Pam's parking lot and turned to look at her for a few quiet moments. She had dozed off on the drive home, and Jim thought she'd never looked as beautiful as she did right at that moment. Her wavy hair spilled over her shoulders and her face was slightly pink from a day in the sun. Freckles were beginning to cover the bridge of her nose, and he found himself wishing she wore less makeup to work so he could see them every day. Pam had fallen asleep with her hand in his and he didn't want to move it and wake her, but he had to put the car into park. He tried to move it away as gingerly as possible, but she stirred in her sleep then groggily looked over at him.

"Are we home already?"

"Yeah, the party's over. You ready to go inside?"

She let out a long yawn and stretched as much as her seat belt would allow. "No, I'm actually hungry. How 'bout you? I have some left over spaghetti from the other night. Sound good?"

Truthfully, Jim was dreading having to leave Pam and didn't want the day to end yet. "Absolutely, I'm starving."

They went inside and Pam got the spaghetti out of the fridge and set about heating it in the microwave.

"Are you sure you don't need any help in there?" Jim called out from the living room.

"I'm sure, just find something good on the radio and leave me to this." She smiled as she heard the oldies station playing in the background. "_Good choice Jim" _she thought to herself.

She brought the plates of spaghetti, a bottle of wine, and two glasses in on a tray and set them on the coffee table as Elvis crooned in the background.

'You'd think after that Elvis impersonator today I'd be sick of hearing the King, but you just can't ever get tired of him, ya know?"

Jim moved closer to her on the couch so he could fill both their wine glasses. "Well, he is the King for a reason."

"How's the spaghetti? I personally prefer the re-heated version to the original." Truthfully, Pam was so happy to not have to end their date yet that they could be eating bologna sandwiches and she'd still think it was the best meal she'd ever ate in her life.

"It's perfect." He looked over at her and smiled, clearly inferring that the spaghetti wasn't the only thing he thought was perfect.

After they finished eating Jim took the dishes into the kitchen and loaded up the dishwasher for her. Pam relaxed on the sofa and closed her eyes. "I could definitely get used to this," she called out to Jim in the kitchen.

"That can be arranged," he said as he walked back into the living room and joined her back on the couch.

"This has been a really great day," she said with her eyes still closed. She could feel where Jim had sat down next for her and reached for his hand. Instead, it landed on his crotch.

"Hey, that can be arranged too." Jim laughed and Pam's eyes shot open and she sat straight up.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry, I was trying to hold your hand." Her faced turned as red as a strawberry. _"I am such an idiot!"_

"That's definitely not my hand Beesly. I know what you're up to. Don't try to deny it, I'm totally on to you." Pam gave him an annoyed look, she didn't appreciate his teasing when she was completely mortified.

"It's not funny Jim, I'm really embarrassed over here."

He tilted his head and gave her a sympathetic look, which of course made Pam forgive him instantly. _"I can't let him use that look on me all the time, he knows its his get-out-of-jail-free card. Well…maybe this one time. How is he so handsome and sexy and boyish all at the same time?" _

"I'm still embarrassed."

"It's okay," he inched his way closer and was now facing her directly, "trust me, I didn't mind." Jim took her hand in his, and he was still amazed at how small and delicate it was compared to his own.

Pam let out a sigh. She wasn't tired anymore even though she closed her eyes and let out the long breath she didn't realize she had been holding in. Having him this close to her, in her apartment without anyone else to interfere or supervise, it felt dangerous. When she opened her eyes he was still right in front of her, his eyes staring straight into hers. It was like he was looking into her mind, reading her thoughts. They sat still for what seemed like an eternity, it could have been three minutes or thirty, Pam wasn't sure. Finally she couldn't take the quiet anymore, it was just too intense.

"What?"

"I know I've said this earlier, but you are just so beautiful. Yeah, it sounds cheesy and over the top, but you are such an amazing woman. I just needed to tell you that."

She smiled shyly, it was such a simple and flattering compliment. Certainly no other man had ever said something so nice to her in her entire life. All she could respond with was thank you.

"It's not cheesy at all Jim. Thank you."

She leaned forward to kiss him, her body hesitating for a split second before her lips met his. It started out soft and loving, but quickly transformed into deep and demanding. Her hands gripped his shoulders as she dug her fingers into the material of his shirt. His arms moved to her sides and around her back. His hand brushed up against her breast as he moved them and she gasped. Pam was suddenly aware of every cell in her body. In fact, she was aware of everything in the entire room. The temperature, the sound of Otis Redding wailing out "_these arms of mine…" _from the speakers, the glow of her table lamp behind Jim, and most importantly the feeling of his body leaning against hers.

Jim's mind was also racing. He was also all too aware that it was the first time they had been alone in this situation, no one to keep them from censoring their words or actions. She tasted so good, the wine, her lip gloss…the combination of everything along with the time they had spent together today as a couple made the moment seem so erotic. He had to have her even though every shred of common sense told him to hold back. They had just gone on their first date only 24 hours ago.

Whatever thoughts Jim had of self restraint did not transfer to Pam's mind. In an instant she had leaned forward and was suddenly lying on top of him on the couch. She wrapped one leg around his and both of her hands were in his hair. She kissed him deeply as their tongues dueled. Her body was buzzing, she could feel herself becoming wet as a deep heat settled into the pit of her stomach.

Jim let his hands travel up the back of her shirt and back down. He pulled it up as much as he could manage with her on top of him and he let his hands glide across her back to the sides of her waist and stomach. Her skin was so soft he was sure it was softer than any other woman on earth. Then, even though he was nervous about her reaction, he let his hands go further down her back and cupped her bottom, bringing her entire body up allowing him to kiss her even more deeply.

Pam breathed in a sharp gasp and quickly put her lips back on his. It was so hot. His hands all over her body, his tongue on hers, the feel of his hard body beneath her own, the situation itself of being alone with him in her apartment. It was like nothing she had ever felt before, certainly not ever with Roy.

Jim brought his hands up to her shoulders and gently pulled her up, breaking off their kiss.

"Are you sure you want to do this? We can wait…"

Pam gave him a long look, full of desire and all the unspoken words they had kept inside for years. It was so sweet of him to want to take things slow, but she'd had enough of slow, it was time for action. "I think we've waited long enough Jim," she said cutting off any thoughts of taking their time. With that he put his right hand behind her neck and pulled her back down to him. It was all he needed to hear.

Jim pulled her even tighter to him and tried to roll them both over on their sides, but the sheer physics of it all combined with the width of Pam's sofa wasn't having it. In one awkward motion he managed to smash Pam in between the cushions and the back of the sofa, and he fell off the side at the same time. In an instant, the moment seemed lost and Pam burst out in laughter.

He couldn't come up with anything to say to make it less awkward, and she was too busy laughing to form syllables into words. Finally, Pam managed to sit up and pull herself to her feet in a most ungraceful movement unbecoming of a lady. But, in only the way that the two of them together could manage, she brought an abrupt end to the comedy portion of the evening and took them straight back to their original frame of mind. She extended her hand to Jim and helped him up off the floor with a look in her eye that erased any feelings of embarrassment he might have felt.

"Come to bed with me," was all she had to say.

Pam led Jim into the bedroom and left the door open so the soft light of the living room cast shadows on the pale pink walls. She brought her hands up to his face and kissed him once softly then sat back on the bed.

"_I can't believe this is Pam. This is really happening, I am not dreaming." _Jim had to keep reminding himself.

He leaned down and began kissing her again, and then he reached around the sides of her waist and gently picked her up and pushed her back on the bedspread, giving himself room to lie on top of her. It made her feel so small and delicate in his arms.

His mouth traveled down her collarbone leaving a trail of hot kisses along her smooth skin. He helped her pull her top over her head revealing her white lace bra. She returned the favor by helping Jim remove his own shirt. Jim couldn't help but give her a small grin when she gasped as she saw his long lean torso for the first time. She immediately ran her fingers through his small patch of chest hair. Her hands traveled down to the sides of his waist and she pulled him back down to her.

He kissed her more deeply now, his body pulsing with every move she made beneath him. She wrapped her legs around his hips and she could feel his hardness in the center of her legs. She was so wet and Pam was sure he could feel it through her skirt. Jim reached his hand down to her the side of her knee, running it up her leg up to her hip. She pushed herself further into him, so desperately wanting to feel him inside of her that very instant.

Although that was exactly what he wanted so much too, Jim forced himself to not rush things. He had waited so long, so very long, and now Pam was more than he could've ever fantasized. He needed to savor every second. He pushed himself up just a bit and let himself roll to his side. His hands found themselves pulling down the straps to her bra, revealing her perfect round, full breasts. He gently rubbed one of her nipples between his fingers and watched her let out a low moan and roll her eyes into the back of her head. He then leaned over her and replaced his fingers with his mouth, causing her to moan and sigh even louder.

His hands traveled further down her body, kissing her soft stomach, lifting up her skirt to kiss the sides of her hips, the soft skin on her inner thighs. Pam desperately wanted to return the favor, but her body would not let her. She was powerless to the sensations she was feeling, and they would not allow her to move until he was finished. He then slid down the zipper on the side of her skirt and slowly pulled it down her legs. When he saw that Pam was wearing matching white lace panties he about lost it then and there. Just to think, she was with him all day and he didn't know she was wearing see through white lace panties. It made him wonder what kind of panties she wore every day to work that he didn't know about. The thought of it was almost too much for him to handle at once.

Before he could think about it too much, he quickly pulled down her panties with her skirt and began massaging her inner thighs and kissing the baby soft skin on her lower abdomen. The anticipation was almost too much for Pam to bear. Her breathing became shallow and she moaned as Jim moved his hand to the left, stroking her at the center of her opening. She let out a loud gasp as he moved his hand up a few inches to find her clitoris already peaked for his touch. As he rubbed it between his fingers she almost lost all control. She could feel a heat settling in the pit of her stomach as suddenly she felt hollow deep inside of her because he wasn't there.

A few seconds later she felt herself almost ready to go over the edge and then he moved his mouth over his fingers and then reached inside of her to find her soft bundle of nerves in her g-spot. As his tongue made a circular motion Pam lost all control, screaming out as every nerve ending in her body was set on fire. Her toes curled involuntarily and Jim could feel the muscles inside of her clamp down on his fingers. He let her ride it out as long as possible and just as she thought she was coming back down to earth, Jim brought her back up again, closing his mouth over her and sucking her in just barely. Pam let out another high pitched gasp as the second orgasm made her body start convulsing again. When it was done, she knew her body couldn't take much more unless she wanted to give herself a heart attack.

She grabbed at his shoulders and whispered in a ragged breath, "Come here." Jim did as he was commanded and slowly made his way back up her body, covering her with kisses along the way. "I can't wait any longer Jim," she said as she struggled to regain her breath. She pulled on his belt buckle and he helped her take off his khaki shorts and boxers.

"Do I need to get a-" he asked but she quickly cut him off. "No, it's okay. I'm still on the Pill." Pam didn't want to waste another second.

"I've wanted this for too long" was all he said before he positioned himself over her and thrust into her, fulfilling his dreams of every night for the past five years.

For a few seconds the only thing they could do was stare at each other. Pam couldn't believe it- she was still sensitive from her orgasms and he was so big and long and straight, and quite simply perfect. She could feel him filling her up at every angle and fitting perfectly inside of her. Jim could feel her squeezing around him and didn't think he could last another twenty seconds. She was the most amazingly beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life. Pam wrapped her legs around his waist and lifted her hips up so he could go even deeper inside of her. It was like she could never get enough of him. She kissed him deeply and then whispered in his ear, "I want you to do to me what you've always wanted to do. Whatever it is, I'll do it."

Jim's head was spinning. It was the most erotic thing he'd ever heard in his entire life. _"I can't believe this is Pam, my Pam. I can't believe she could ever talk to me like this. This is going to be quick, I might as well accept that now." _He began thrusting inside of her, trying to take things slow but she was bucking her hips into him faster and harder and it was all he could do to keep up. The only thing he could say in response was his repeated moaning of "Yes, Pam, yes…Oh my God, Pam."

It all felt so good. She couldn't get enough of him no matter what. She kept drawing him in deeper and deeper, moaning and grunting. Jim gave up all efforts of trying to hold himself back and then lost the ability to think all together. His instincts took over and he began thrusting into her at an almost erratic pace. Pam brought her legs up even higher and with a final, even deeper push he lost himself inside of her. He felt himself emptying inside of Pam as his body was set on fire.

After he could feel nothing more, his body slipped into complete exhaustion. Jim felt himself collapse on top of Pam as she kept her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. He waited for their breaths to return to a normal pace as she lightly ran her fingernails up and down his back. It was the most comforting feeling he had ever had in his life. They had shared the most intimate act two people could share with each other, and now she was gently holding him and running her fingers through his messy hair.

Once he thought his strength had returned enough for him to roll off of her, Jim moved onto his side and looked over at Pam. She was so incredibly beautiful. Her eyes were closed and she instinctively leaned into his side. He watched her chest rise and fall with every breath. She slightly opened one eye and saw him looking at her. She was so happy in that instant that she didn't want to say anything. There weren't words to describe what she was feeling, and they didn't need words anyway. She smiled and closed her eyes, letting the happiness envelop her like a big hug. It was quite simply sublime.

**Okay, so writing "smut" is very hard and I'm very nervous (okay, so I said it before, but I emphasize: I'm _NERVOUS_ about this chapter) and would really appreciate your feedback. Also, I'm going to try to spend less time reading others' fics and more writing my own. I'll update faster next time! **


	7. Open Your Eyes

_Please don't shoot me because it took so long to update! I've had serious writers block and your reviews from the last chapter was very much appreciated. It was nice to get some reassurance. _

The next thing Jim knew he awoke on Pam's bed, and he was absolutely freezing. He reached his arm around her waist and could feel her skin was as cold as his.

"Pam," he whispered, "Pam, wake up."

"What? Why is it so cold?" She mumbled sleepily.

"We must've fallen asleep. Wake up, we need to get under the blankets."

She yawned and stretched out her arms, and it took a few seconds for her to realize why they were asleep on her bed naked.

"Oh my God….that was really amazing Jim. I can't believe we fell asleep after that!"

"Yeah, well, we were both pretty tired. All that physical activity, ya know." He was teasing her, but the sound of his husky sleep-filled voice sounded so nice, and it felt so good for him to joke with her so intimately. Pam rolled over and crawled up to the head of the bed, pulling back the sheets. Jim stood up to find his boxers and was nice enough to wordlessly hand Pam her underwear too. He got in bed next to her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms in an attempt to warm the cold skin.

As she cuddled next to him, he had to say it. "Pam, I know you said you wanted to, but we could've waited you know. I don't want you to feel pressured into anything."

She let out a long, slightly annoyed sigh. "I told you I wanted to, didn't I? I do what I want now, to please myself, not others. Remember, Fancy New Beesly? I realize things are moving fast, but it's what I want, I swear to you Jim."

"You weren't the only one being pleased," he whispered seductively into her ear. Pam giggled and turned her head to kiss him. Before she knew it, Jim was laying on top of her and the underwear that they had put back on only minutes before was gone once again. He was slowly moving in and out of her, and her legs were wrapped tightly around him, as if her life depended on it. And Pam realized she wasn't cold anymore.

The morning light filtered through the blinds, and one particular beam of sunlight landed directly on Pam's sleeping eyes. She groaned and rolled over, but it was of no use. Her body came to an abrupt stop half way around as it was met with Jim's shoulder. After a split-second of annoyance, she stretched her arms out and around him. Never had she been so happy to be so rudely awakened. The movement must have woken Jim too because he rolled over to meet her grinning face.

"Good morning Ms. Beesly."

"Good morning Mr. Halpert."

"I trust you slept well after your night of sexual olympics?" He gave her an eyebrow raise and she tried to suppress a giggle.

"Very well, and I'm still considering where I want to display my trophy." She was trying so hard to keep it light and funny, but her mind was racing. "_This is what waking up next Jim could be like every day. His hair looks so cute in the morning…Last night was the best.sex.ever.period. How did he know how to please me EXACTLY on the first time? I hope he realizes that a repeat performance will be expected now on a daily basis."_

"So…any plans for the day?"

"Not really, I was just going to clean my apartment. Maybe work on a few paintings, go the library. Nothing too exciting."

"Can I take you to breakfast first?" Pam wasn't sure what the look he was trying to go for was, but it was clearly desperate. She was touched that he didn't want to leave her just yet.

"Absolutely, but don't worry Halpert. I'm not kicking you out of my bed just yet. I have other kinds of plans too." With one raised eyebrow she conveyed the implicit nature of her plans and Jim pulled the sheets over their heads and rolled her on top of him. It would be a few more hours before they made it to breakfast.

After Jim had dropped Pam off at her apartment after their late breakfast, she got right to work on her to do list. She was in the middle of dusting when her phone rang. The second she saw it was Jim on the caller ID her face lit up in an immediate smile.

"Couldn't make it three hours without me, huh?"

"Nope, guilty. Actually, I just got off the phone with my mom and had to call you as soon as possible. Couldn't wait."

"Wow, I'm your first thought after you speak to you mom, that's a little…scary."

"That's sick Beesly. She called because she wanted to talk about my upcoming birthday. You are aware of this very important date next week?"

"How could I forget," Pam rolled her eyes, "your birthday should be a national holiday."

"Absolutely it should. I'm glad we see eye to eye on this subject. It is also my dad's birthday, as fate would have it. My family always likes to throw a joint party for the two of us, and my mom wants to have it the weekend after our birthday this year so we've had time to recover from the first party on our actual birthday."

"Do you always have two parties, or does one suffice if it's on a weekend?"

"No, we always need at least two parties." Jim could feel the sarcasm dripping out of Pam's mouth. It made him so happy to realize they could always banter back and forth, despite the change in their relationship.

"Actually, I was thinking about your birthday this morning as luck would have it. I also was wanting to throw you a party. I guess I could do it on your official birthday on Wednesday, but I really wanted to do it on the weekend so all your friends could come. It won't be any fun if we have to work the next day." She tried not to let her disappointment show, but she couldn't help it. The truth was she always wanted to meet all of Jim's non-office friends beside Mark. She realized this morning as she was cleaning that his birthday was the perfect excuse to throw a party and meet them all, but at the same time she knew she couldn't expect him to break his family tradition.

"Nonsense, we make our own fun. First of all, who said we have to go to work the next day? There are these things called personal days. You might want to look into that Beesly. Second, I never turn down the opportunity to party, especially if it is in celebration of my birth, even if it's on a Wednesday night. I know my friends feel the same. In case you forgot, my friends are just as immature as I am and party in the middle of the week like they're still in college."

"I guess it could work out…"

"Or, we could just have our own private party for two. I like that idea too."

"That sounds like a good idea, but we can leave that for Thursday night. I still want to throw you a party. I know it sounds silly, but it's really important to me. I want to meet all of your other friends and I love the idea of throwing you a party."

"Okay, it's my birthday, but since Pam wants to throw me a party, we're going to make it all about her and her need to meet my friends," Jim said sarcastically.

"I'm glad you figured that out so early in our relationship. It IS all about me, and the sooner you learn that, the better off we all will be." Pam wasn't sure where all this sassiness was coming from, but it sure felt good rolling off her tongue. Jim was always ready to joke around with her, unlike certain other previous boyfriends in her life.

"I'll tell everyone that there will be festivities in the celebration of my birth on Wednesday night. Do you have a preferred location, or is my house good enough?"

"Hmm…location, location, location. I was thinking Poor Richards, so that way I don't have to clean up afterwards, but I'm worried someone from the office will be there and get offended we didn't invite them too. God only knows what Michael would do if he found out you had a birthday party without him. Your house will probably be best."

"Yeah, good point. My house it is, and don't worry, I'll help clean up."

"Speaking of, I need to get back to cleaning my own apartment. When I finish I'll call you about the rest of the plans, food, etc. Unless you already have plans for tonight. I mean, I don't want to monopolize all of your time." All of a sudden Pam became very self conscious. "_He does have a life that doesn't involve being with me every waking moment. It's only been a few days and he's going to think I'm as clingy as Kelly."_

Hearing the apprehension in her voice Jim immediately wanted to reassure her that spending time with her had already became his main priority from the second he asked her out to dinner Friday afternoon. "Beesly, I know you're not supposed to tell a woman this, but you need to relax. You can feel free to monopolize my time for as long as you like and whenever you want. I'll tell you if I have any urgent Xbox tournaments with Mark that absolutely cannot wait for you. Okay?"

"Okay," she tried to not smile so widely, it was hurting her cheeks. "I'll call you back in a few hours. I do my best thinking while vacuuming, so be prepared."

"Already counting down the minutes til you call back."

"Bye, Jim."

"Bye, Pam."

**Okay, I realize this was a pretty short chapter compared to all the others, but I needed to use it to introduce all the cool things that Jim and Pam will be doing in the next few chapters - Pam's party and his family's birthday party. Please review and let me know what you think. **


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